Jul 202 min read

SAP SD - Partner Functions

What are Partner Functions in SAP ?

Partner Functions are roles that business partners (such as customers, vendors, or other entities) can play in a business transaction. These roles are used to define the responsibilities and relationships of these partners in different business processes, such as sales orders, purchase orders, or deliveries.

Here are some standard partner functions provided in SAP:

Sold-to Party (SP) : The customer who places the order.
Ship-to Party (SH) : The location where the goods are to be delivered.
Bill-to Party (BP) : The entity responsible for receiving the invoice.
Payer (PY) : The entity responsible for making the payment.

How to maintain Partner Functions in SAP ?

PATH TO CONFIGURE : Display IMG-> Sales and Distribution > Basic Functions > Partner Determination > Set Up Partner Determination > Set Up Partner Determination for Customer Master / T.Code VOPAN

Partner Determination Procedure (Customer)

Partner determination is the process by which SAP automatically assigns partner functions to a business transaction based on predefined rules. This setup ensures that the correct partners are involved in each transaction, and it can be configured to meet the specific needs of a business.

Partner Function in Procedure

Here, we can see all the Partner Functions available in the Partner Determination Procedure and also for which Partner Function is "Mandatory" and which Partner "cannot be changed" are controlled from this screen.

Partner Determination Procedure Assignment (Customer)

The procedure specifies which partner functions are allowed for a particular business transaction (for example, for processing a sales order) and which of those partner functions are mandatory.

Custom Partner Functions

In addition to standard partner functions, businesses can define custom partner functions to address specific requirements. These can be configured in the SAP system through customization settings. To define new Partner function, enter -

New Partner Function - 2 digit code

Partner Type - for example, whether the partner is a customer(KU), supplier (LI), etc.

Error Group Procedure - The number that uniquely identifies the incompleteness procedure. This defines number of fields in which the user must enter information.

Unique in the Master data - Indicates whether you can use this partner function only once in the customer master data.

Account Group to Function Assignment

This assignment ensures that the correct partner functions are used for the appropriate account groups during transaction processing.

Partner Function in Customer Master Data

By leveraging the partner functions and partner determination procedures in SAP SD, businesses can streamline their sales and distribution processes, ensure accurate partner role assignments, and ultimately achieve greater operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

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